Borno Abduction: Atiku’s Aide Demands Update On Missing Schoolchildren 159 Days After

Paul Ibe, media adviser to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to provide an update on the whereabouts of over 40 schoolchildren abducted in Mussa, Borno State, 159 days after the incident.

Ibe, who is also an aide to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, raised the concern in a post on his X handle on Thursday, questioning the Federal Government’s response to the abduction of schoolchildren in different parts of the country.

He said the children were abducted in Mussa, Borno State, and Oriire, Oyo State, on May 15, 2026, but noted that while the victims in Oyo State regained their freedom, the fate of those in Borno remained uncertain.

According to him, the Oriire schoolchildren were released on July 10, after spending 56 days in captivity.

“The Oriire children regained freedom on 10 July, after 56 days. We celebrate their return and stand with every affected family. But 159 days after the Mussa abduction, where are those over 40 children?” Ibe queried.

The ADC chieftain also faulted what he described as the difference in the Federal Government’s response to the two incidents, arguing that families of the abducted children in Borno deserved the same level of attention as their counterparts in Oyo State.

“President @officialABAT sent a high-powered delegation to the affected Oyo communities. The families in Mussa deserve the same visible presidential attention, urgency and determination,” he wrote.

Ibe further questioned whether the Tinubu administration attached different levels of importance to security incidents depending on the region where they occurred.

“The contrast raises a disturbing question: does this Tinubu-led @OfficialAPCNg administration attach different levels of urgency to Nigerian children depending on their region? A child in Borno has the same right to protection as a child in Oyo. Neither geography nor political calculation should determine whose anguish commands presidential attention,” he said.

He urged the President to explain the prolonged delay in securing the release of the Mussa schoolchildren and provide Nigerians with a credible update on efforts to bring them home.

“President Tinubu must explain the prolonged failure to bring the Mussa children home, provide a credible public update and demonstrate that their freedom is a national priority. Nigeria cannot have first-class and second-class children. Bring the Mussa children home,” Ibe added.

He concluded his post with the hashtag #BringBackMussaSchoolChildren, renewing calls for urgent action to secure the freedom of the abducted children.